The Devil You Know
by Aerial312
Summary: A tag to 3x06. Picks up about 10 minutes after the episode ends. Annie and Auggie chat.


It wasn't long after Auggie hung up his phone call with Joan that he heard the click-click of Annie's heels as she came into her office. Or rather, bounced into his office, radiating excitement. Not what he'd been expecting after talking to Joan. Something good must have happened between her leaving Joan's office and her showing up in his office.

"Guess what?" she said, as she crossed around his desk to join him behind it.

"You turned Sayeed after all," he answered. It had to be.

"How do you know that already?!" she demanded with an adorable huff.

He chuckled. "Good guess." She smacked his arm. "I figured that was about the only thing that could do such a complete one-eighty to your mood-"

"Hey-!"

"Especially after you got called to the principal's office."

"Yeah…" she sighed, deflating a bit as she sat on the desk facing him.

"So…Sayeed changed his mind?"

She shifted a bit on his desk, clearly excited about this part of the day. "After the Prime Minister died. He couldn't betray his mentor, who was like a father to him, but after he died, Sayeed realized that what he and I talked about made sense."

"Good for you, Walker."

"Thanks," she grinned. "And thanks for your help yesterday. You know, I hadn't realized how much I missed working with you. You always have my back, even when I'm going against orders."

"Especially when you're going against orders," he sighed.

"What?" she asked, nudging his leg with her foot. "You didn't miss this?" She sounded hurt at the thought.

"No, I did," he assured her. "I did. I _will_."

"What-?" It dawned on her partway through the word.

"You asked for a transfer, so…" He sat back in his chair with a sigh. It bothered him more than it should have. He really did miss working with her every day.

"How do you know about that already?" she asked quietly, all earlier joy gone from her voice.

"I know everything, remember?"

"Auggie."

"How come you didn't mention it when we were talking before?"

"I-"

"You put in the form this morning."

"You're mad."

She was right. He was. A little. Maybe more disappointed than mad. "I just thought it would be something you'd tell me."

"Like you told me about Parker?" she shot back.

Touché. He sat forward, leaning his elbows on the desk and resting his head on his hands. "I was in a really bad place last week."

"I know. I could have helped," she told him, the anger gone from her voice.

"I wasn't ready to talk that first day. Then you were in Israel," he shrugged, lifting his head back up.

"How are you now?" she asked, laying her hand on top of his.

"Getting better," he told her truthfully. "Slowly. It's good to be busy. When I'm concentrating on a case, its better…" Which led them back to their original issue. She was leaving the DPD again, going who knows where.

Annie sensed that shift in conversation too, and sighed, squeezing his hand. "You think I'm stupid to ask for a transfer."

"I would never say that."

"But?"

"But, I think you haven't given Joan a chance-"

"You're defending her again!"

"Look." He sat upright again, releasing her hand. "You are my best friend, and you know I care about you. You know that. Right?" She didn't say anything. This was one of those times he really wished he could see if she was nodding. After a beat he continued, "But I respect Joan too. And I don't think she's out to get you."

"She doesn't trust me," Annie told him, standing up and stepping away.

He loved her, but sometimes she couldn't see the bigger picture. He stood and reached out to find her. "You realize that Joan got taken to task for even letting you go try to recruit Sayeed?"

She sighed, leaning into his hand. He rubbed her arm with his thumb. "What about the profile she had Eyal do?" she asked, less fired up than before.

"Not that uncommon, especially when she just got you back from a team leader whose style she doesn't agree with."

"I liked that autonomy, in Lena's division," she admitted. "Most of the time."

"Most of the time?"

"Sometimes working all alone is lonely." She put her hand on top of his on her arm, and he intertwined their fingers. "You know how I think, so you give me the best ideas." She let her head rest on his shoulder.

Auggie chuckled. "This flattery is gonna go to my head."

She jabbed him in the side, but left her head where it was on his shoulder. "Really though, Auggie," she said. ""I was so sure before that transferring was the answer…I hadn't thought about this. What should I do?"

"You've got to weigh what's most important to you. I can't make that decision for you."

"But, you wish I wouldn't—"

"Yes. I'll miss you. But, I understand that you need to do what works for you."

"I don't know if I know what that is right now," she murmured into his shirt.

"You know what I think?" She seemed to want him to make this choice for her, so he was going to tell it to her straight. "I think the devil you know is better than the one you don't. You don't always get along with Joan, but you what to expect…more or less. Give it a little longer before you decide if you want to transfer. You sent in that request in the heat of the moment. If you're still unhappy in a few weeks, then you think about a transfer." He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze.

"Okay," She nodded, hugging him back. "Okay. I'll give it a while longer. And at least we'll get to work together in the meantime." This relieved him more than he cared to admit to her. "If Joan still wants me," Annie added.

"She does," Auggie assured her. "I'll talk to her. You just cancel that form."

"I will." She pulled back out of his arms. "Thank you." She pressed a kiss to his cheek. He heard the click of her heels as she started to leave. "We should still get drinks tonight. It's been too long."

"Sounds good, Walker."

They did need to catch up, even if it surely meant he was going to have to finally tell her all that happened with Parker, and his bar fight. It was time.


End file.
